IT’S no wonder the Murray-Darling Basin has been such a focus for controversy in recent years.
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The basin spans four states, as well as the ACT, and drains about one-seventh of Australia’s land mass, making it a critical cog in the nation’s vast agricultural machine.
Its rivers run through countless communities – a lifeblood for many.
So, back in 2010 when the Murray-Darling Basin Authority released a draft plan to secure the long-term ecological health of the basin, it was never going to be a smooth process.
The plan, which has gone through many revisions in that time, aims to achieve a balance between environmental, economic and social considerations, and that has obviously involved cutting water allocations to increase environmental flows for the benefit of the whole system.
And after years of very little attention, and everyone taking what they wanted, something had to be done for this highly senstive system.
But with state rivalries and competing irrigation interests, it’s been a battle to get as far as we have.
The painful process of water limits and buybacks has ensued, with recognition towns and individuals were going to need help to compensate for what had been lost.
A federal government compensation scheme was established to support projects that increased economic diversification for these basin communities and this week the successful projects were announced.
Once again though, controversy and accusations of unfairness have raised their ugly heads, with the northern part of the basin ignored and a town like Moree, severely impacted by the process, missing out.
This was after it submitted four projects, all apparently unworthy of even a single dollar, despite each of them focusing on enhanced business, tourism and employment opportunities for the region.
NSW was awarded $32 million under this buyback compensation fund, $18 million of which has all gone to the south of the state.
That leaves $14 million in the pot and one can only hope the powers that be cast an eye to the north when this money is handed out.
These farmers and their communities have given up a lot and if they’re not deserving of at least some of this compensation, then the whole process is a farce.